Kizuna
by Banana Rum
Summary: [Kiyomi] A heartwarming story of the bond between Midoriko and Kirara. However, the birth of the Shikon Jewel and a paralyzed bandit named Haru threatens their friendship. Not to mention their lives.
1. Devotion's Beginning

Kizuna Chapter 1: Devotion's Beginning

Banana Rum: Kiyomi

Disclaimer: Well, I obviously DO NOT own any of these characters. I don't really understand why we have to write these disclaimers. Obviously Rumiko Takahashi would NEVER put her works on a website. Isn't that why she publishes them?

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"Mew." Small, shrill cries rang throughout the meadow. Delicate flowers of pink and white dotted the lush, green meadow. Rolling hills created shallow indentations and protected from the softly blowing winds. In one such hollow, a neko youkai and her offspring resided. The mews that filled the air emitted from the newly born kittens. 

There were only six tiny felines, and all except one were an exact replica of their smokey-colored mother. The exception was much different. Instead of the short, coarse, practical fur of wild youkai, this kitten's was long and silky. Its fur was a glistening white, and black markings adorned the face, tails, paws and tips of the ears. In short, this baby stood out too much from its surroundings, therefore, it would not live long.

As the litter of kittens clamored over each other to suckled at the exhausted mother's teats, a disturbance broke the tranquil setting.

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWW!" The earsplitting cry of a gargantuan centipede trampled the grass and flowers, leaving crushed ruins. It charged straight toward the cat and her young. But the weary mother could barely move. Sensing the danger in the air, the just born youkai's mews became more shrill and frantic. In their terror, the kittens started burrowing and climbing over the mother's body. But the white kitten started crawling the wrong way, away from the comfort of its mother. The still helpless mother could only sit and watch, she was too fatigued. Death would come soon, and her poor kittens had just been born.

Blood stained a large patch of grass. Small carcasses were strewn about, the fur on them matted and bloody. A miko walked through the once serene field, surveying the damage. She wore the traditional red and white clothing of a miko, she had a bow in her hand, and a quiver of arrows slung across her back. Her face was composed, not one line on her face relayed emotion. Another rogue youkai had struck. Lately, many youkai had suddenly become mad, causing them to go on mass killing streaks.

It was unfortunate. A neko youkai and her young had been massacred in the latest attack. And from the size of the bodies, the kittens had just been born. Their eyes were still closed.

All of the sudden, the miko stopped walking, If one listened closely enough, they could hear a quiet cry, seemingly coming from the grass. The miko was one who listened. She knelt down next to a patch of once magnificent flowers, and picked up what looked like another lifeless body. It was pure white, with two tails, and black markings. It squirmed, searching for the comforting body of its dead mother. Carefully cradling the small feline, the miko walked back to the village from which she came from.

Cold. So cold. And scared. Terrified. Where was mother? Something was there. Bad. It was sinister. The youki it gave off was as different as possible from Mother and my siblings'. Run. Must run. Get away. Run. Tall stalks of something obstructed my path. Must still get away. Am I far away enough? Tired. So tired... Mother? I'm lost. I collapsed.

Next thing I knew, I was lifted off the ground by... a human! Its smell was revolting. But the touch was friendly and gentle. So, this human would not hurt me... I hoped. I was safe for now.

I brought the kitten home. Poor thing. Its mother and siblings had all been killed. And from the looks of it, this one wouldn't have lasted a week by itself. Its fur was pure white. Pure as snow. It was about time I got myself a companion. This puny kitten would be perfect, because I would raise it.

For three weeks I nursed Kirara, the name I had given the kitten, back to health. She was so lively! Always crawling out of the basket I kept her in or batting away imaginary butterflies.

Finally, she opened her eyes. I was the first thing she saw. How happy I was to see "my child" taking her first look at the world. Hopefully, she would love me as much as I had grown to love her.

I felt it was time. I opened my eyes. And looking straight into mine were soft, brown ones. They were so comforting. Was this my mother? Or maybe it was the human?

"Hello little one. My name is Midoriko. I hope you don't mind, but I've decided to call you Kirara. Do you like it?"

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Author's notes: 

Er, please review? Constructive criticism as well as flames are welcome.

-Kiyomi


	2. Forbidden Love

Kizuna Chapter 2: Forbidden Love

Banana Rum: Kiyomi

Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to its respective owner. Not me.

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At first, the village detested me. It was a demon exterminating community. Everyone there was trained to kill us, youkai. Despite this, the village was like any other. Small huts with straw thatched roofs adorned the dirt packed streets and farmers lived on the outskirts of town. The verdant fields seemed to stretch on forever and hard-working villagers could be seen in them from dawn until dusk. 

I knew the villagers were out to get me. One time, a group of boys threw rocks at me. One boy, who seemed to be their leader, had a large slingshot which catapulted palm sized stones. Midoriko-sama told me they were jealous of her, and wanted to keep me for themselves. I knew she was lying though, because every time she said it, her face was strained into an overly happy smile and she hastily went to wash laundry or tend the garden. So, to gain the villagers trust, I tried as hard as I could to impress them. In the beginning, I performed small tasks, such as ridding the gardens of hungry scavengers. Then, I moved to larger prey, and rid the storehouses of mice and such vermin. When I got older, Midoriko-sama even took with with her when she scouted the area for dangerous youkai.

Gradually, the villagers trusted me, and some even grew fond of me. I started going with the taijiya on exterminations. Technically, I was killing my own kind, but my place was with the humans.

Life went on like this for some time. Midoriko-sama and I were content. Unfortunately, the gods could not have us content.

xXx

One day, a group of bandits rampaged the village. They came unexpectedly on horseback carrying torches, spears, and finely made katana. They were wearing the heavy armor of samurai, but were obviously not. Their faces were dirty and prickled with stubble that had not been shaven in a long time. The ruthless thieves had robbed a wealthy village and partied for many nights it seemed.

They burned, destroyed, and killed an excessive amount of men, women and children. The battles started early in the morning and lasted early into the next. Despite all the warriors in our village, there were just too many bandits. The entire time I stayed by my master's side while she shot and perfected her spell of cleansing and balancing the spirit.

Finally, we prevailed. All the intruders were either dead and lying on the streets or had retreated. Lying beside the bandits were also lost limbs, taijiya, and villagers, children among them.

While assessing the damage and cleaning the village, a man found a bandit still alive. The villager had been dragging all of the bodies of the thieves into a pile to burn. He exclaimed his finding very loudly and called Midoriko-sama over to him.

"Let me just kill him! Please! Let me drive a stake through the bastard's heart! I know him! He killed my wife! He's already half-dead anyway, what's one more body?" the villager pleaded.

"No. Despite all his wrong-doings, this man does not deserve a stake through his heart. Let me deal with him. Please continue your work." With that dismissal she proceeded to examine the wounded bandit.

He was covered in wounds and blood, some which belonged to him, some to others. His face, which was halfway hidden by a black mass of knotted hair, was ashen pale. He appeared fairly young, and he was lying in an odd angle. His back seemed to have been broken.

"Please, miko-sama." his rough voice rasped out from parched lips. "Let me live. My leader forced me to do this! He said he would kill me if I didn't. I deeply regret all the people who have died at my hand. Let me live. I will try and redeem myself."

I highly doubted the claim made by this man. I remembered him. He had been riding through the streets slashing at people and burning huts. All the while his eyes held a sinister glint, and his laugh was one of pure joy and evil.

Midorko-sama didn't remember any of this, or if she did, she chose to ignore it. She took him to a hidden, nearby mountain cave. It went fairly deep into the mountain and was slightly damp. Stalagmites and stalactites dotted the cave, gleaming from the dew like teeth. But, it protected from the harsher elements, such as the wind and rain.

Over a period of time, she nursed him the thief back to health with her knowledge of herbs and poultices. She visited him twice a day to help him with all of his needs. During these visits, they held long conversations. She would put everything aside, even her miko duties, for the man. It was at these times I thought she cared for the man a little too much. She still managed to hide the bandit from the villagers. They all assumed she had just talked to him and then killed him the day that day he was found. If the townspeople had known the truth, we would have probably been kicked out.

The few times I went with my master to visit the vile man, for Midoriko-sama did not like me going with her to the mountain cave, I noticed he would stare hungrily at her. His eyes would glaze over and I could tell he wanted her badly. Didn't Midoriko-sama notice the horrific look in his eyes? Why did she trust him?

Even after a month, the bandit, who said his name was Haru, could not move. His broken back had resulted in paralysis. Despite this condition, Haru was still a very dangerous man. He loved and longed after what he could not have. And what he wanted was my master, Midoriko. Obviously, that could not happen.

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Author's Notes: 

The spell "of cleansing and balancing the spirit" I am talking about is the Buddhist philosophy of the four spirits. As Miroku said, "The 'shikon' or 'four souls' are known as Arami-tama, Nigimi-tama, Kushimi-tama, and Sakimi-tama. Together those spirits are housed in a physical body as its soul or 'heart'. The Arami-tama presides over valor, Nigimi-tama harmony, Kushimi-tama miracles, and Sakimi-tama love. A soul in which these four aspects are combined and balanced is called a 'naohi' a true spirit. For that person it is easy to remain on a true path. If an evil deed is committed, then the four aspects are unbalanced... The soul becomes a 'magatsuhi'...a twisted spirit. And the person will turn onto the wrong path."

That was just some background information from Book 10. Anyway, Midoriko mastered a spell to pull the four aspects into a proper balance and thus nullify demon souls. Hope you understand it better now!


	3. Intentions

Kizuna Chapter 3: Intentions

Banana Rum: Kiyomi

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Midoriko-sama cared for Haru one year. I knew he was malicious from the beginning, but his tainted aura still grew stronger every day, along with his longing for my master. Now, looking back, I wonder why Midoriko-sama did not cleanse his spirit. He had become as corrupted as the worst of youkai.

xXx

As I cared for Haru, I sometimes notices him staring at me. At first, I ignored it, as I was something different to look at, opposed to the bleak, grey, cave walls. But then, his staring became more intent and sometimes his eyes would bulge and grow fanatical. These were the times he frightened me, but I did not show it.

Most of the time, Haru did not speak unless I directly addressed him. But once, he brought up an alarming subject.

"Midoriko," he asked. He had decided some weeks before we should be on a first name basis. "Do you care about me?"

Of course I do, Haru." I answered. "If I didn't, you would be dead by now."

He chuckled. "Well, do you love me?"

It was a serious question. "I don't know about love. It is a very strong emotion." I replied carefully.

"Oh. I get it." he sounded rejected. He lay there for about a minute. "I'm not good enough for you, am I? Right?"

I kept my silence and he continued.

"It's all because I'm stuck in this crippled, useless body. You'd love me if I were stronger." He fell silent once more. " Get away from me. Go. I don't feel like your company right now."

"Haru, it's not like that. Let me explain..." I objected feebly.

"Get away! Leave! Go away from me! I don't want to see you! GET AWAY!" he screamed, spit flying, as his face turned red and breathing haggard.

I quietly packed up and left the cave. Before I walked down the mountain, I looked back at the cave. I could faintly hear him muttering curses and coughing. He shouldn't have worked himself up like that.

The next day when I visited him, he did not say a word or even look at me. The oppressing silence seemed to carry a foreboding aura, but that may have just been me.

For the rest of the week, he did not say anything to me. He simply lay there and let himself be fed and cleaned. The whole while, he seemed to be deep in thought, but I did not say anything.

During the day that started the new week Haru finally spoke, but his words were disturbing.

"You do not love me. That is a fact, is it not?" he started. "So, in order to impress you I will show you how strong I am! I will walk and embrace you tightly in my arms. You won't be able to escape me. You will regret you didn't love me in this body. Just wait until tomorrow."

I chose to stay silent and merely continued mixing up a strengthening potion for him. Haru had exhausted himself that day he yelled at me. He was certainly crazy if he thought he could walk or even get the energy to. Poor man. Maybe Kirara was right when she blocked my way to the mountain path. She obviously did not trust him. How did I grow to trust Haru anyway?

The next morning I dressed, ready for battle. Last night a wounded man had staggered into the village. He claimed that a swarm of demons attacked his village. I put on my undergarments and my normal, everyday attire. On top of this, I strapped on my armor given to me by a warlord I had helped. It was crafted be a well-known maker and did not hinder my movement, nor was it too heavy. Overall, it fit me very well and was an excellent piece.

Before I left, I would have to visit Haru. I did not know how long this extermination would take. Calling Kirara to my side, we left to the mountain cave with haste. The other taijiya hopefully wouldn't need my help right away.

As we approached the mountain, the air became thick and hard to breathe. The normally tranquil and peaceful aura felt saturated with evil. When Kirara landed and I stepped upon the ground, I realized noises were coming from the inside. I could hear low growls and snarls which were obviously coming from something much larger than a cat.

After telling Kirara to stay outside, I immediately ran into the cave, concerned a youkai had found and injured Haru.

The cave was filled with tons of demons. Swirling masses of them covered the floor, and many more of them flew around the cave madly, becoming entangled in my hair. Small and large youkai had come to meet here, but why?

"Kukuku." Haru let out a purely sinister chuckle. "So, you **have** come... wench." He spat the last word with such hatred I stepped back.

" You have come to watch me, become stronger, have you not? Or, maybe I thought wrong, and you do love me?" The last question deeply disturbed me. Haru was lying on his mat, as always, but his eyes did not seem to belong to the Haru I had known him as. His eyes carried a maniacal glint and shone with such ferocity that they appeared to be glowing. All the while, I kept a straight face.

"Of course not Haru. I merely came to help you, as I do **every** day." I answered back.

"Well then, why did you run in here with such a worried look on your face? It's simple. You LOVE me."

Before I could respond, or even comprehend the situation, all the youki was making me sick, Haru yelled, " Demons! Unto me! Grant me the power I wish!"

They quickly descended upon him, covering every square inch of his body and then they piled up on each other. The whole time he was laughing. He was laughing. As if he enjoyed it. No shrieks of pain, or gasps of horror. Yet, the demons were there, eating him alive.

As I rushed forward to start "purifying" the demons, I heard a piercing cry. It sounded, odd though. It was a shriek of triumph. It was as if a hawk had finally caught its prey after a chase.

The mass of youkai which I had originally thought to be hundreds of, stood up on two reptilian like legs. It was not hundreds of separate youkai, it was hundreds of conjoined ones.

Then, it spoke, with numerous voices, and numerous mouths, some only vaguely human, others, not at all.

"See now? How could you not love me? I could destroy anyone that threatens our love now! Love me, Midoriko."

His last sentence was a strong command to which I answered, " Never! I will die before that happens! Kirara!" I screamed for my faithful companion as the former bandit called Haru charged at me. I was ready for battle.

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Author's Note: Um, please review. 


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